This invention relates to a thermal and optical camouflage which is provided with a camouflage-colored surface and which provides means for controlling heat emission by creating thermal emission patterns similar to that of the locale in which the camouflage material is deployed.
Leaf-cut camouflage material provided with slits as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,796, has long been in use as an ultraviolet, visual and near infrared (hereafter termed "near IR") camouflage. It is usually fixed to a supporting net. Camouflage nets are commonly garnished with identically-sized pieces of material which are stretched into hexagons being about 40 cm across and laid side by side, and which are glued to the supporting net. Other designs include more irregular and variously colored figures which are fastened to the net by means of clamps, sewing and the like. The garnishing material is often of matte-surfaced polyvinyl chloride film.
These camouflage nets function very well as far as ultraviolet, visual and near IR camouflage is concerned because the outlines of covered objects are disguised and a picture is obtained which differs very little from the natural environment, provided that the color scheme and the near IR reflection adequately harmonizes with what exists in the environment in which the nets are to be used. Thus, special nets are manufactured for woodland natural environments, for desert natural environments, and for snow natural environments, all of which have considerably different color schemes.
Hoever, these camouflage nets do not provide camouflage protection adequately against reconnaissance with instruments having detectors for thermal infrared radiation in the thermal ranges of 3 to 5 microns and 8 to 14 microns. For such radiation, known camouflage nets are deficient since they appear as surfaces having an even temperature and therefore emit thermal infrared radiation determined entirely by their temperature. This in turn is greatly determined by the temperature of objects being camouflaged and meteorological conditions, such as solar heating.